The shipping, handling and installation of numerous components required in building construction are problematic and costly due to the fragile nature of the materials comprising these components and/or their susceptibility to permanent physical surface damage such as scratches, abrasion and scuffing incurred during shipping, handling and installation. Examples of such building components include window units comprising one or more glass panels encased in surrounding frameworks, unframed sheet glass panels, counter tops, tub and shower surrounds and other kitchen and bathroom amenities fashioned from natural and/or synthetic stone, highly polished sheet metal panels such as copper, stainless steel and aluminum, and sheet or three-dimensional building elements fashioned from fiberglass and plastics materials. Furthermore, after such components have been installed, they need to be further protected while construction is ongoing, from other types of physico-chemical damage resulting from splashing or smearing of fluid and/or semi-solid construction materials containing surface-etching or marring chemical components as exemplified by concrete, mortar, paint, deck and roofing coatings, caulking and construction adhesive materials, and the like. Quite often, the post-manufacture storage and shipping periods of such components combined with their use in long-term high-rise building construction require that the surfaces of these components are provided with a temporary removable coverings that are functional to provide protection against scratching, abrasion and scuffing damage and spillage of fluid and/or semi-solid construction materials for extended periods of time, e.g., up to one year or more.
Numerous strategies and products have been developed to temporarily protect glass and/or highly polished sheet material and/or high-gloss painted surfaces during shipping and handling. One approach known in the prior art is the application of peelable polymeric films provided with one adhesive surface to substrate surfaces for temporary removable protection against abrasion, abrasive dust and acid rain. However, disadvantages with such peelable temporary film covers include: (1) the material is easily dislodged from substrate surfaces and subsequently torn away by heavy winds, (2) prolonged adhesion of the polymeric films to substrate surfaces results in drying or chemical degradation of the adhesive components thereby making removal of the films extremely difficult without leaving behind difficult-to-remove adherent materials or without causing physical damage to the substrate surfaces, and (3) the peelable polymeric films are typically non-biodegradable and are negatively associated with disposal problems and environmental issues.
Another approach disclosed in the prior art for protecting substrate surfaces is the wet application of polymeric or metal oxide compositions that dry onto substrate surfaces thereby providing temporary protective coverings that may be removed by appropriate washing solutions. However, the problems associated with these types of temporary protective coverings include, depending on the type of composition applied: (1) long-term instability after application to substrate surfaces such as shrinkage and cracking during and after prolonged exposure to elevated environmental ambient temperatures, (2) washing away during periods of heavy rainfall, or (3) the requirement for acidic or caustic washing solutions for removal of such temporary covers from the substrate surfaces.